Barbecue Center owner Sonny Conrad dies

When someone is described as an icon, you better be able to back up that statement with some proof. But no explanation is needed for Sonny Conrad.

BY SHARON MYERSThe Dispatch

When someone is described as an icon, you better be able to back up that statement with some proof. But when you are talking about someone like Sonny Conrad, owner of The Barbecue Center, then no explanation is needed. Conrad, 75, of East Holly Grove Road, died Friday morning at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, and the city of Lexington may never be the same. “He was my best friend, the best boss and the best Dad a man could have,” said his youngest son, Michael Conrad. The senior Conrad influence has effortlessly spread throughout the community from the tireless work ethic he showed through example to the one-on-one relationships he built with his customers and his role as a pioneer of the largest one-day festival in North Carolina, the Barbecue Festival.Cecil Conrad, the oldest of Conrad's two sons, said, “It was a great experience to spend the last 16 years working side by side with him even though I may have taken it for granted.”Sonny Conrad grew up around barbecue, as both his grandfathers cooked it. As a teenager, he began working as a car hop for his sister's husband at the Dairy Center, which would eventually become the Barbecue Center. He bought the restaurant in 1967, and his entire family still works there. In 1984, he was one of 12 restaurant owners to show up at a meeting to learn about the possibility of starting a street festival celebrating Lexington-style barbecue. He was one of six who agreed to participate, and since then it has been tradition for Conrad to present the first barbecue sandwich of the festival to the mayor of Lexington. “We will always be grateful for Sonny's contribution to the festival,” said Stephanie Saintsing Naset, executive director of the Barbecue Festival. “I never thought he wouldn't be here for the 30th anniversary. It's going to be bittersweet, but we will do something to make sure he and the others who were the original founders are remembered somehow.”Cecil Conrad said that his dad was skeptical of the festival at first but was pleasantly surprised at how successful it became. “We never imagined it would become what it is,” Cecil Conrad said. “We see the benefit of it year-round, thanks to all the hard work that the Saintsing family put into it.”The restaurant has been featured on Bobby Flay's Food Network show, the Travel Channel, Southern Living magazine and several books on barbecue. Lexington Police Chief Tad Kepley remembers Conrad as a man who had a great impact on his life.“He gave me my first job when I was 15 years old,” Kepley said. “He taught me the responsibility of holding down a job that helped me when I began my career in the police department.” This is a sentiment that is echoed by Tabitha Vestal, who has worked as a waitress at The Barbecue Center for 21 years. “He was my role model,” she said. “He was a dedicated man and a hard worker. He was always the first one here and the last one to leave, unless he went home to mow his yard. Of course, he came right back to work.”Vestal said that Conrad had an air about him that put customers at ease and that everyone was a friend. Other customers backed up that statement while eating lunch at the restaurant that remained open Friday, despite the loss of its leader. “He was a wonderful man and a pillar of the community,” said Susan Lloyd, a long-time customer and friend. Dr. Fred Mock, superintendent of Davidson County Schools, said that Conrad's influence spread beyond Lexington.“He made an impression on anyone who met him,” Mock said. “Anytime I go to other places and they find out I am from Lexington, people always ask me about The Barbecue Center and specifically remember Sonny. That shows the quality of person he was.” Another customer, Ralph Jackson, who has been coming to The Barbecue Center for 40 years, said Conrad was never too busy to sit down and chat. “He would always ask me about my yard, and he would brag about his lawn mower,” Jackson said. “He was just a good man who never had a bad word against anyone.”Michael and Cecil Conrad said that their Dad enjoyed every aspect of his business and spent most of his time there.“He was a people person who knew everyone,” Michael Conrad said. “Sometime that worked against me because I could never get away with anything in this town.”Cecil Conrad said, “His hobby was coming here every day and meeting people and catching up on what's going on.” Conrad died from complications resulting from treatment of a past illness. Cecil Conrad said, “He was sick several years ago, and the treatment he underwent weakened his immune system. He just didn't have the strength to fight off a common virus.”Everyone has a special memory of Conrad that highlights the kind of man he was. Lloyd says she will always remember the time when a big snowstorm came through and the wait staff couldn't make it in, so Conrad put her to work waiting tables. Jackson says he will remember him just sitting around and chatting with his customers. But Vestal said what she will miss the most is just seeing him coming to work every day. “Whenever you saw that big red truck pull in, you knew the boss was here, and everyone better straighten up,” she said. “I'm sure going to miss him.”

Sharon Myers can be reached at 249-3981, ext, 228 or at sharon.myers@the-dispatch.com.